Improve Your Pictures, Improve Page Views

After blogging for about a year, several other bloggers and I created the Dishing it Up blogging group.  Even though I loved sharing my coupons, samples, freebies, and other deals I never really wrote about anything.  It just didn’t feel like my site had much of a true direction.  That all changed when I started blogging my recipes though.

Immediately, I decided that I would include pictures with my recipes.  I’m very much a visual person and also included step by step pictures.  I was so proud of myself because MY recipes always included pictures.  I thought I was doing an awesome job of being a food blogger.

Then it happened.  A friend of mine hurt my feelings.  She told me that my pictures weren’t good enough to be considered a “real” food blogger.  My bubble wasn’t just burst, it was shredded!  But, instead of getting mad about my friend’s comments, I improved my food photography.

These are some of the steps I’ve used to improve my pictures and in turn improve my page views on my site:

1. Life is 3D, your pictures should be too.  When I started taking my food pics, I usually used my iPhone with it laying flat over the subject.  The problem is that your pics (like mine) end up looking flat and plain.  Looking back at this picture I see all kinds of shadows, including my own on top of the plate.  Don’t ask me what I call it now.
2. Shoot pictures from several different angles and distances.  Move the plate around, move your body around, reposition the items you’re shooting.  What you like in the camera screen may look totally different on your computer screen.   I no longer use my iphone unless I absolutely have to.  It makes a huge difference in the quality of my pictures.
3. Experiment with different props and backgrounds while repositioning for the different angles.  Mix different textures with coordinating colors.
4. Use natural light, skip the flash.  I typically shoot my food pictures on my stove which is bathed in light from my kitchen window.  My flash tends to make my pictures too golden yellow and often casts shadows into my pictures. 
5. Crop out the distracting stuff, focus on the good stuff.  After creating my Asian Beef Pepper Steak Copycat Recipe for Marie Callender’s frozen dinner, I immediately put them all into freezer containers.  I forgot to plate one for a “nice” picture.  I’m so glad that I did a tight crop on this image.  It is the most highly viewed recipe on my entire website!  Other bloggers that I don’t know have even shared it with their readers!  I doubt it would have been as successful if I had been satisfied with the original picture. 
6. Add borders and titles to cover flaws in your pictures and to really make your pictures pop.  It depends on who you ask about putting the title and website name on the picture.  Personally, I like it and it helps show ownership. 
7. Mix font styles, colors, and other elements to enhance and fill in the blank spots in your images.  Use the Auto Adjust feature to brighten and enhance the colors in your image without giving it a fake look. 
8. Don’t pay for subscriptions to use photo editing websites.  I edited the majority of these picmonkey and sometimes use fotor.  They both offer multiple free options.  While these options are somewhat similar, there also quite a few differences as well.

Along with my move to self-hosted wordpress and my improved food photography skills, my page views increased by 51% in 2013 compared to 2012.  Unique visitors also increased by 20% during this time period.  Throughout this year, I have also made an effort to take better pictures to replace some of the not so great pictures I took in the past.  My Knorr Homestyle Stock Gravy Recipe is one that I’ve added newer and better images to.  It has gone from 249 page views in 2012 to 2,244 page views in 2013.  Yes, there are various other contributing factors as well, but without a doubt improved pictures have helped me improve page views.